James’ Oral History, Round 1
Item
Title
James’ Oral History, Round 1
Synopsis
● 30 years old male, Chinese, Malaysian.
● Owner of a small catering company, his revenue dropped to almost 100% when large events were cancelled because of COVID-19.
● He was forced to pivot his business from catering to food delivery.
● While some of his friends in the food and beverage industry shut down their businesses or move to another industry, he is determined to keep his business because he believes that he is providing a necessity for the public.
● He fell into depression during the lockdown because he was worried about having to shut down his business.
● After COVID-19 is over, he wants to go back to catering as he feels that customers are more willing to spend on catering than food delivery, so the profit margin is higher.
● His customers were concerned about the source of his food supplies instead of food hygiene. Malaysia categorises the number of cases in specific areas based on coloured zones: red, yellow, green with red having the highest number of cases in a specific area. Customers did not want to eat food that was sourced from the Red Zone [an area with 41 or more Covid-19 cases registered there for a 14-day period].
● Owner of a small catering company, his revenue dropped to almost 100% when large events were cancelled because of COVID-19.
● He was forced to pivot his business from catering to food delivery.
● While some of his friends in the food and beverage industry shut down their businesses or move to another industry, he is determined to keep his business because he believes that he is providing a necessity for the public.
● He fell into depression during the lockdown because he was worried about having to shut down his business.
● After COVID-19 is over, he wants to go back to catering as he feels that customers are more willing to spend on catering than food delivery, so the profit margin is higher.
● His customers were concerned about the source of his food supplies instead of food hygiene. Malaysia categorises the number of cases in specific areas based on coloured zones: red, yellow, green with red having the highest number of cases in a specific area. Customers did not want to eat food that was sourced from the Red Zone [an area with 41 or more Covid-19 cases registered there for a 14-day period].
Date Created
January 26, 2021
Language of interview
English
Related interviews
Index
Biography 1-3
- Family 15
- Friends 5, 11
--- Shopping 11
Communication
- News 12, 25, 27
- Social Media 4, 25
Daily Routine
- Food 8, 12
Job
- Catering Business 3, 5, 7-8, 10, 12-15, 18, 21, 31-32
--- Delivery issues 7-10, 18-19, 22, 26
--- Emergency funds 13, 20-21
--- Investors 12
- Online pivot 7-9
- Travelling 15
Malaysian Government
- Covid-response 27 -28
--- Dine-in restrictions 28
--- Inter-state travelling 28
--- Ministry of Health 32
- Lockdown 5-6, 12, 24
Memory and trauma
- Mental health 23
Mobility during pandemic 14-15
- Claustrophobic 15, 23
Response measures for Covid-19
- Danger of Covid-19 4
--- Economic impact 5, 13, 17, 23
--- Mental Health 13
--- Mortality rate 5
--- Red Zone 31
- Frontliners 30
- Monetary contributions 30
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) 26
Support
- Business owners 11, 32
- Family 15
- Friends 5, 11
--- Shopping 11
Communication
- News 12, 25, 27
- Social Media 4, 25
Daily Routine
- Food 8, 12
Job
- Catering Business 3, 5, 7-8, 10, 12-15, 18, 21, 31-32
--- Delivery issues 7-10, 18-19, 22, 26
--- Emergency funds 13, 20-21
--- Investors 12
- Online pivot 7-9
- Travelling 15
Malaysian Government
- Covid-response 27 -28
--- Dine-in restrictions 28
--- Inter-state travelling 28
--- Ministry of Health 32
- Lockdown 5-6, 12, 24
Memory and trauma
- Mental health 23
Mobility during pandemic 14-15
- Claustrophobic 15, 23
Response measures for Covid-19
- Danger of Covid-19 4
--- Economic impact 5, 13, 17, 23
--- Mental Health 13
--- Mortality rate 5
--- Red Zone 31
- Frontliners 30
- Monetary contributions 30
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) 26
Support
- Business owners 11, 32
